From Slaves to Rebels
by romulan227
Summary: A short story taking place within TTigerz's incredible story "Everything is Fair, in Love and War."  Focuses on Irma and Cornelia just a few hours after waking up from their enthrallment to Hay Lin, between chapters 19 and 20 of TTigerz's story.
1. A Tender Moment In Trying Times

_**A/N: This story takes place immediately after the events of Ch. 19 in TTigerz's story "Everything is Fair, in Love and War." It is important to read up to that chapter, and Lexvan's story "Warriors Unite" to understand this.**_

_**W.I.T.C.H. belongs to Disney**_

_**Though he is only mentioned in this chapter, Angelo is Lexvan's OC**_

_**Also, though only mentioned in this chapter, G.E.N.I.E. are TTigerz's OCs  
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**Part 1: A Tender Moment in Trying Times**

_In Andrew's tent, a few hours after arriving from Arkhanta_

Andrew and Irma were lying in bed, after some very private time that need not be elaborated. They were facing each other now, embracing, kissing, and laughing

"I waited four years for that…" he said blissfully as he caressed her cheek, brushing her hair to the side. "…it was so worth it."

"I always knew it would be special…and at least we know one thing Hay Lin let me keep…" She joked, with a grin, as she always did through dark times.

Andrew grinned and kissed her again. He turned to lay on his back with his hands behind his head. "I can't believe how much happened today…" he said staring at the roof of his tent.

Irma snuggled her head into his chest. "This has to be the happiest day of my life…" She sighed and then asked "So what are we doing for the rest of the day?" she asked with a slight grin.

"Well, we've got a meeting in about an hour, then I have to train, but you've got nothing on your schedule for the day, it's another day to rest…" suddenly he felt a rumbling within. "…you hungry?"

"Starving." She answered immediately, in her normal, smart-mouthed tone.

"I'll go get some food…" he said as Irma moved off and he sat up and quickly threw on his pants and his boots.

"Wait." Irma said. Andrew turned around. "Can you get me some clothes too?" She asked. He looked at her blue silk battledress on the floor, then back to her pleading eyes.

He understood perfectly. "Of course." He answered with a calm smile. "I'll be back soon."

"I'll be waiting…" she said happily.

Fifteen minutes later, Andrew walked back into the tent with some extra clothes from the Meridians, a pair of boots, and a plate of food, including Irma's favorite sandwich. However, he saw that Irma was sleeping again under the covers, curled up like she had been before.

He set the clothes on a chair and the food on the table and sat beside the bed, as quietly as he could. Then he looked over and saw about fifty little icicles sticking out of the floor, each sticking through torn silk fragments from what used to be her dress. His mind drifted to the tattoo on her back.

Suddenly, Irma started breathing more heavily in her sleep. Andrew knelt down closer to her as her body started moving, twitching. He gently put his hand on her shoulder, and she screamed as her eyes shot open. He jolted his hand off and whispered "Relax! It's just me! …Bad dream?"

She quickly sat up, still wide eyed, and wrapped herself tightly in the blanket. Andrew sat down next to her and put his arm around her. She took another deep breath. "I…I thought I was still enthralled!"

Andrew moved his hand back and forth around her shoulder. "It's okay, it was just a dream…"

Irma turned to him with a stressful face. "When I was enthralled, sometimes I would dream about being freed. But just as I was about to touch someone I knew, I'd wake up, and I couldn't think, and her voice…was so strong…" She tried to explain, but the fear brought her voice down to a whisper. "…and today…a part of me still wasn't convinced until I kissed you again…"

Andrew caressed her arm to reassure her. "Trust me…you're back where you belong." Then he touched her cheek and her nose, letting her feel how real his hands felt. "That bracelet I put on you, it keeps Yan Lin from sensing you, and protects you from enthrallment." He rubbed her on the back, trying to soothe her. He whispered into her ear "Just a bad dream…"

Irma had no doubt that this was real, too much had happened today already, but she had every right to be afraid, as she had experienced freedom and hope before, only to have it snatched away as quickly as it came. "The last four years of my life were one long bad dream…"

He held her chin and turned her head to face him, looking into her watery blue eyes. "It's over."

She looked back and said "I know…it's just…I remember the day you came to rescue me."

Andrew's face changed to a more grim expression. "I remember it like it was yesterday. Angelo told me what happened afterwards."

Irma's eyes began to well up. "I ran as hard as I could!" Andrew held her with both arms while tears rolled down her face. "I was so close I could feel it!" her lips quivered. "I just wasn't quick enough…she stopped me…and sent me back into the nightmare!" at that point she broke down.

Andrew held her tight as she cried. "It wasn't your fault. She never would have let you escape." He said to her as a few tears rolled down his face. Irma quieted down, wanting to retort, wanting to say if she reacted quicker, things would have been different, but she knew he was right. He gently brushed her hair out of her eyes. "Once we found ourselves on Erutan and found our new powers, I swore that no matter how long it took, or how hard it was, I wouldn't rest until I found you, and saved you…" He then took both her hands as she lifted up her head, staring into his mesmerizing eyes. "…I won't lose you again."

She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder. After a minute of silence Irma spoke up. "It's just all a big mess now…" she said more calmly. "…I'm supposed to be one of the good guys. I should be teaching the new guardians, and they're all scared to death of me…"

"That'll pass. When the time's right they'll get to know you. I mean, you should see the new Water Guardian, everything about her reminds me of you, except the red hair." He paused to get back on topic. "If they could've seen you and Cornelia after you woke up today…or if they could see us right now, they'd-"

"-better if they saw us now than half an hour ago." She interrupted, a smirk coming to her tear-stricken face. Andrew chuckled at that, a grin growing. She couldn't hold it back, there was no need to suppress her laughter, though they still tried to kiss through their giggling.

After holding each other for a few more minutes, Irma threw on her new clothes. "You've still got a thing for pirates, don't you?" She cracked.

"Now you look like one of the good guys." He said smiling.

Irma's stomach growled. She looked over at the plate full of food. She took a deep breath in as she eyed one item on the plate. "Is that…a…" she picked it up to look at it. "…peanut butter, celery, and sliced apple sandwich!"

"And cinnamon…" he said looking at her as she stared in wonder. "Your mom made it for you…" He said as he grabbed an apple off the plate. "She also made sure the clothes-" but she was too busy wolfing it down to listen, making loud nomming sounds the whole time. _*And I wouldn't have you any other way*_ he thought.

After they wiped the plate clean, Andrew put his shirt back on. "So, there's a meeting in Taranee's tent coming up. Just the leaders. You can stay here if you want."

"I think I'll go…but I'm gonna check on Corny first, show her my new threads. It feels like it's been forever since she's criticized my taste."

"I have to make some quick rounds, but I'll see you there. Try to bring her with you if she's up to it."

"I will."

They both exited the tent and went in their separate directions. Irma's deep, brief, fleeting dreams of freedom during her enthrallment had finally come true. The trying times were far, far from over. However, she was back with her friends, her family, her lover. She was ready to be a force for good again, and couldn't be more thankful.

_**So that's my first ever story on fanfic. I have to thank TTigerz and Lexvan for writing their stories, and inspiring me to write this little snippet. I should also thank TTigerz for her permission. And about the pirate reference, Andrew was dressed as a pirate in the Halloween episode W is for Witch. And I can't be the only person who thinks the rebels on Meridian looked like pirates. There's a part 2 and 3 to this, and I'm making some final edits on those, so they should be up soon. Please review!  
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	2. Some Encouraging Words

_In Lilian's Tent, about half an hour earlier_

Cornelia was sitting in a pair of pajamas, her blonde hair soaked after a long, cold shower. Lilian just put a blanket over her shoulders as she held a cup of hot tea. Chris was sitting across from them, eating a sandwich. Cassidy was also in the tent, sitting by Cornelia's side, the closest to understanding what she had been through. "Comfy?" Lilian asked, getting ready to brush her sister's hair.

Cornelia sipped her tea. "Yeah…" she said with a sigh and a light smile. "Where'd you get all these pillows?"

"Being Heart of Earth has its perks." She said with a smirk as she started brushing her hair.

Chris looked at the three girls, ready to ask a question that he had been wondering about. "So…what was it like?"

Cassidy looked at Chris disapprovingly, but Cornelia slowly answered. "I couldn't think…sometimes I'd stop and wonder where I was, but then it would just kick back in after a few seconds."

Cassidy nodded. "That sums it up pretty well."

She took another sip of tea and continued. "And when I could think, it would only be about whatever dirty job she wanted me to do, and how best to do it. I planned out Will's training sessions, worked out how to kill people, and chatted with Hay Lin about who to kill next." She stared into her teacup. "I can't believe I could be so evil!"

"That's not true, Cornelia…" Cassidy said as she rubbed her hand on her back.

"You're not evil. You were never evil!" Lilian added, hugging her from behind.

"Hay Lin enthralled you for the same reason Nerissa enthralled me. She knew you would never do any of the things she made you do on your own." Cassidy reassured. Cornelia put down her tea and held Cassidy's hand with her right, and Lilian's with her left. She closed her eyes and tried to smile.

She continued. "As guardians, it's our destiny to fight for good, to fight for those who can't fight for themselves."

Cornelia opened her eyes, looking confused. "But I'm not a guardian anymore, and neither are you, for that matter."

Cassidy made eye contact with her and said "Once a guardian, always a guardian. Only you can choose to follow your destiny or abandon it. No one else can make that choice for you, not even Hay Lin."

"But...I think I did make that choice, when I thought she killed my parents, you know 'a chink in the armor' and all that."

"We all have chinks in our armor, Cornelia. But that doesn't stop us from doing what's right."

Cornelia took another sip from her tea, trying to hold back tears. "So...you really think that I'm...meant to be here?"

Cassidy cracked a smile. "Not even the most powerful enthrallment spell the Oracle's ever seen could stop you from joining us. If that's not a sign of something, I don't know what is."

"I just wish I could have been with you here earlier." She said as she closed her eyes again, a tear escaping.

"We can't change the past. But now that you've got your free will back, the only important question is what are you going to do with it?"

Cornelia took in her question. She took a deep breath and relaxed her shoulders, turning her head upright. She slowly opened her eyes and looked forward, a serious look on her face. "What I was born to do."

Chris had been watching Cornelia, and knew that Irma must be going through the same turmoil. "I think I should check on Irma…" he said, getting up.

Cornelia gasped. "No! No no no!" But Cassidy had already grabbed him by the arm and yanked him back down.

"Not right now, Chris." Cassidy said. "She and Andrew…need some time alone together…"

A wicked grin grew over Lilian's face. "I hope they put up a 'do not disturb' sign!"

They all laughed, except Chris, who looked like he was about to puke. After calming down, Cornelia said "Really, I don't know how I can thank Will for freeing us."

Cassidy put her hand on her shoulder again. Cornelia turned to look at her. "Will didn't free you. You did. She just helped…in a really big way." She looked over at Lilian and Chris. "…and so did these two."

Cornelia grabbed their hands again and smiled. "Thanks guys."

"What, no group hug?"

They all turned and saw Irma standing in their tent, now dressed like one of the rebels, and the old snicker back on her face.

Cornelia raised an eyebrow. "Is that you, Irma? Or does Caleb have a twin sister he never told us about?"

"Just keeping up with Meridian fashion. You haven't gotten the latest catalogue?"

"So what's up?" Cassidy asked.

"Andrew said there's a meeting in Taranee's tent soon. I'm going and he said I should talk you into going too."

"Is that some boring meeting where they plan battles and stuff?" Cornelia asked.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about it. It's just the leaders, I'm going too. You should come." Said Cassidy.

"Alright, I think-wait! I can't go looking like this!" She said, looking at her jams.

"Well, where's that dress you had on before?" Cassidy asked.

"About 50 feet underground."

"Believe me, I can't wait to see the look on their faces when they see us walk in like this."

"Alright, let's go then." Cornelia said. The three women got up and walked out. "We'll leave you two alone…" she said, giving Chris one last glare.


	3. Let's Make This Official

_**A/N: So this is the final chapter in my mini-story "From Slaves To Rebels." Again, this takes place a few hours after the events of chapter 19.  
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_**W.I.T.C.H. belongs to Disney**_

_**Angelo is Lexvan's OC**_

_**Part 3: Let's make this official  
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_In Taranee's Tent_

"Woah! Cassidy! Where'd you find Action Girl and Slumber Party?" Will asked. The three women found their friends all sitting in a circle in the tent. Caleb and Taranee were sitting on either side of Will. Next to Caleb were Martin and Alchemy. Then the warriors. Cassidy took a seat next to Joel. Irma and Cornelia looked around and took their seats in the wide space between Angelo and Andrew.

"So, you've joined us to talk about rations for the next week?" Martin asked, a bit confused as to why several others were here for a normally dull meeting.

"We'll get to that later." Taranee said. "There's some important business we need to take care of first."

"Right." Alchemy said. "So first, Irma, thanks for rejecting Martin all those times." She said as she nestled her head into his shoulder. He then put his arm around her.

"Wow…" Irma reacted. "It actually…makes sense…"

"It does." Cornelia added with a smile. "When I think about it, how didn't it happen earlier?"

"And…" Said Taranee. "…I'm sorry I ever doubted you." She was somber and kept looking between them and the floor. "Before Will joined us, Caleb and I thought you two were working for Hay Lin willingly."

"Don't be…" Cornelia answered softly.

"Yeah, in addition to making us the perfect killers, I guess she gave us acting skills too." Irma added.

"I know what you're both going through right now." Said Will. "It's the same thing I've been going through since I left Hay Lin. For a long time, I couldn't even look at myself in the mirror. But I want you to look at this from a different perspective: The simple fact is that Hay Lin had to rob you of your minds and your free will to get you to do things that..." Will sighed "...I did on my own."

"Me too..." Taranee added. The ex-water and earth guardians had to admit they hadn't thought of it that way, though the emotions still remained.

Will continued. "And it turns out that Nerissa was infected with some evil virus for the last 50 years. But she's back and on our side now." They had been told this before, but it still sounded incredibly odd. Irma and Cornelia looked confused at Will.

"The point Will's trying to make is that if there's hope for us, and even hope for someone like Nerissa, there has to be hope for the two of you." Taranee explained.

It was like they were telling them everything they needed to hear. They knew it was because of their telepathy. "We can't hide anything from you, can we?" Cornelia asked.

"Face it, Corny, we're open books to them."

"Then you know what I'm going to say next." Said Will. "I know you both have a lot of hate for Hay Lin. And I can't blame you. But trust me, you have to let it go. If you let your hate and anger guide your thoughts and actions, then she is still controlling you." They were visibly taken aback at what she had just told them. Because they knew it was true. It made sense. But it just felt so hard. _*__I know it's hard...*_ she said to them telepathically. _*...but your strength comes from what you love, not what you hate.*_

They both took a deep breath when they heard this. They had to admit, it felt good to hear a caring voice inside their heads. Their hate could not disappear immediately, Will did not expect it to. But she, and Taranee and Mandy, could already sense them channeling their emotions, replacing their anger and guilt with something else: commitment, determination, loyalty.

Then Cassidy chimed in. "And with all due respect to Will, when she dethralled you, she only loosened your chains. It was you who broke them." Will and the others nodded at that.

"Not to mention Hay Lin had to Ubercharge the spell just to hold on to you." Said Martin.

Cornelia then asked a question that only someone who had been out of it for the last four years would ask: "Will things ever be normal again?" Her voice trembled as she asked this.

Will's answer was not very comforting. "All I know for sure is that we're going to have to redefine 'normal'."

Will addressed the tent. "In the last few years, we have all either seen or done things that we never imagined, and would give anything and everything to go back and change. Healing will take a very long time, but now we need to hold onto our humanity, and focus on the task ahead of us."

"Which brings us to the important part." Said Caleb. He looked at Irma and Cornelia. "You didn't have a choice to do anything that Hay Lin made you do, so we're giving you one now." He turned to Irma. "Irma Lair, former Guardian of Water, we ask that you-"

"Caleb! It was never that formal!" Will blurted out, a confused and amused look on her face.

"It's important that they choose." He insisted.

"I swear, all this oracle stuff is really rubbing off on you..." Will said as she rolled her eyes. Everyone else chuckled a bit. "...but continue."

"We ask that you join our cause. You know what we're fighting for. Do you choose to join us?"

Irma was actually speechless at first, she had never heard Caleb talking in such a way. But then she cracked a smile. "Did you really need to ask?"

He then turned to Cornelia. "And Cornelia Hale. Former Guardian of Earth..." He was feeling pretty awkward, speaking in such an official tone to his former girlfriend. But after what she had been through, he felt it needed to be done this way. "...You know what we're fighting for, and we ask you to join us. Do you choose to accept?"

Cornelia's eyes were welling up as Caleb spoke to her, and answer was more emotional. "After what Hay Lin did to me, and made me do…I'm putting my whole life into this!" She shouted as she slammed her hand against the floor, shaking it and making cracks.

Irma gently took Cornelia's hand, trying to pull it back. But before she could, Angelo placed his hand over both of theirs. Cornelia looked up, to see him smiling at her and very subtly nodding. Suddenly Andrew added his hand. Cassidy caught on and put hers in as well. Then Joel and Mandy. Taranee could sense the shared loyalty and commitment among everyone there as she put her hand in. Then came Martin and Alchemy. Then Caleb, looking satisfied. Finally, Will put her hand in on top of all the others, and couldn't help but let out a tiny spark of quintessence. They all looked around at each other, no one wanting to be the first to take their hand out.

"Go team?" Irma asked nervously.

Caleb looked back at the two of them. "Welcome to the rebellion."

_**And that's it! Once again, thanks to TTigerz and Lexvan for writing their stories, and thanks to TTigerz for her permission. And I sneaked in a little TF2 reference, if you can spot it.  
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